Holding on for all the right reasons
by merdarkandtwisty
Summary: Bella Swan and Emmett Cullen shared one common thread. Something they both loved and hated all in one breath. They were holding on by a thread holding onto sanity holding on to family and holding onto secrets of their own They just hoped it was for all the right reasons.
1. Chapter 1

I don't own Twilight.

Bella POV

My heels echoed through the silent halls of a place I'd once known so well. I scrunched up my nose at the sterile smell. That smell you make yourself forget but that brings back memories good and bad the minuet it hits your nose. I pulled the heavy wooden door open and walked into the carpeted room that even now at twenty three made me shrink a little in fear. Obviously I wasn't there because I was in trouble. No I was there because my baby sister had once again found herself smack dab in the middle of the principal's office.

"Miss Swan it's good to see you." I can tell he wants to add a once again to his sentence but doesn't. I take his hand before settling down in a chair across from him briefly glancing at Alice. I want to shake my head I want to snap at her ask her what is wrong, why she always has to get in trouble, what did she do this time, why now, she knew I had an important test to take in the morning that I desperately needed to study for and that my shift at the diner started in an hour but I bit down hard on the words not letting the flow from my mouth. I turn my attention to the principle and give him a weak smile.

He looks at me and I can see the sympathy residing there. He knows me, he's known me since I was a child. And then again when I came back in High school. Of course he did Forks was a small town and it was hard not to know people. "So Why are we here today Principle Banner?" I ask just wanting to get this meeting over with.

"Well Miss Swan it seems that Miss Cullen here has decided that school is just too much for her and has cut the last three days. I hate to call you in. I know how busy you are but Carlisle is working and you're the only one available on her contact list."

I sighed of course I was Renee was in Florida with Phil and Bree Esme I was sure was at her job site I know she had a big job going in Seattle right now not that mom would have even allowed Esme Cullen on Alice's emergency contact list and as for Emmett Cullen the son of Carlisle and Esme he was in New York last time I knew finishing med school. I'd heard Alice mention something about him getting a residency in Seattle but when it came to Emmett Cullen I tried not to think on it too much. I turned to Alice and stared at her I could almost feel my foot wanting to tap and my arms wanting to cross. I could feel the reprimand of young lady what do you have to say for yourself on my tongue. But I held all that back and just shook my head. "I guess I'll be driving you to school and picking you up every day and you'll be handing the keys of your car over to your father. She pouted and slumped in her chair but I wasn't going to deal with her wild child antics today. I turned back to Principle Banner. "What is her punishment from the school?"

"One day suspension." I nodded and stood up. "Alice come on I'm going to be late for work." I walked out throwing a wave to the secretary Mrs. Cope and looked behind me briefly to be sure that Alice was actually following me. I slide into the driver's seat of my car and waited for Alice to get into the passenger side before driving out of the school lot and towards the Cullen house.

"Alice why?" I ask glancing over at her. Her arms are firmly planted in front of her as she glares me and at that moment as in many moments before I wish with all my might that Alice didn't have so much of our mother in her. I even wish she wasn't born for a split second. A second that makes the guilt pour over my soul. I park in front of the Cullen house and turn in the seat to look at her. "Well." I know she can hear the frustration in my voice.

"Maybe I don't want to be here, have you ever thought of that. I liked it in Florida. I liked it with mom and Phil."

"Yeah because they let you get away with everything and anything." I scoffed.

"Jealous." She shot back.

"Oh yes I'm so jealous of my seventeen year old sister who drank so heavily she had to be rushed to the emergency room, my sister who almost flunked out of school last year. I'm so jealous." I snapped back sarcastically.

She just glared at me. "Fine you don't want to talk about it out then just get out. I have to go to work anyway." She glared at me once again before slamming out of the car. "I will be talking to your father." I yelled at her back as I pulled out of the driveway.

I knew what her issue was everyone did. She was mad that mom had gotten married. She was mad that mom had another child with said new husband and she was mad that she got sent to live in Forks with her father. I could relate. Oh how I could relate. I'd had a similar experience. As Alice different in many ways but still so similar. I thought back on my childhood as I pulled into the diner parking lot. It was happy for the first five years and then the Cullen's moved to town. With their fancy cars and happy smiles. Smiles that didn't stay in place long. It was a badly kept secret in our little town that my mother and the Doctor Carlisle Cullen were having and affair and it was an even worse kept secret that the child she had birthed only a year later was in fact a Cullen. She hadn't stuck around and my father hadn't fought the divorce as she'd packed up me and a baby Alice and fled to Phoenix.

The Cullens had been able to patch up their marriage where mine hadn't and I think they had even became stronger because of it. Carlisle made sure to fly out to see Alice and I resented that. Oh I knew Charlie loved me but he wasn't one for leaving his tiny town and only did so on rare occasions. Of course Renee sent both me and Alice to Forks for the summer starting when Alice was three and I was nine but the tension in the air was always thick. The stares I got where always accusing even at a young age as if I carried the sin of my mother. Even though Alice had been the one born of the affair. People didn't bother her because she was younger or maybe because they were awed by the Cullen wealth. Oh Charlie tried to protect me and it worked some I mean he was the chief of police he could be intimidating but still I resented my mother I resented Alice and then I'd been sent o Forks at sixteen because mom was moving to Florida to live with her new husband and just couldn't keep up with two kids. I was thrust into the Forks High with all the kids who picked on me every summer and the one kid who couldn't even look at me. Emmett Cullen. He was a senior the year I showed up and I was thankful that I didn't have to stay in the school with him for more than one year. I was shook out of my thoughts as I walked into the diner and grabbed my apron and note pad and started to take orders. I smiled at my dad as he slide into his usual booth and was so busy I hardly looked up as I took a customers order an hour later.

"What can I get for you?"

"How about a hamburger?" My eyes shot up and my heart stopped as I looked into the eyes of Emmett Cullen. I froze pen poised on paper. My tounge darted out to wet my lips and I'm sure he thought I was crazy as I stared at him as if he had three heads. I quickly jotted down his order and hurried to the kitchen walking through the doors I tried to catch my breath. I placed his order and grabbed his drink as I walked back to the table sitting it down in front of him.

"I thought you were in New York?" I bit down hard on my lip after asking that question not even believing that I had. I was sure there was probably blood at this point.

"Came back today, I start in Seattle in a week thought I would spent some time with mom and dad, heard Alice was around too." He smiled at me slightly and I felt jumpy.

"Yeah Alice." I grumbled. I looked around cursing my luck that the flow had slowed down and no one seemed to need my help I had no way to escape for the moment.

"What did she do this time?" He chuckled and I scowled at him.

"Skipped class." I bit out. I didn't want to be angry with the man in front of me. But at the same time anger was the only emotion I could feel towards him. He had everything I wanted. He had a stable family, he had the opportunity to follow his dreams. And worst of all he had my heart.

Oh I didn't want him to have that but it was something I couldn't seem to control. For Emmett Cullen had stolen my heart when I was just a child of five. I know it sounds stupid and I wish it wasn't true. I wish I could hate him. I wish I could make my heart not jump in my chest every time I saw him, but it was no use I should know I'd been trying for years now for almost two decades. I sent a silent curse at my mother as his blue eyes seemed to pierce into my very soul.

He didn't say anything about Alice and I didn't know what else to say myself as I let out a relieved breath seeing someone walk into the diner. "I have to go." I hurried towards them glad to have an excuse to leave the man who mad my life hell without even knowing it. He left an hour later leaving a good tip and a sending a wave and by the time I was done with my shift for the night my feet were killing me and I wanted to cry. I made my way back to Charlie's house and collapsed on the bed. I didn't want to think about what was going on in the land of the Cullens but I didn't have a choice. I got up and got a glass of wine and thought about life. It was just me in the house as Charlie was working the night shift and I let the quite envelope me.

A/N so this is my newest Emmett and Bella story I don't know where it's going to go I don't know how long it's going to be but I do know that it will be emotional but there will also be funny tender moments in there too. Reviews welcome.


	2. Chapter 2

I don't own twilight

Emmett POV

I walked out of the diner stealing a glance at Bella. It felt strange to be back in Forks. I had been in New York for what feel like forever. It was hard coming back to Forks. One of the reasons that I'd chosen to go to Seattle for my residency instead of Forks General like dad wanted. It was just to hard to be in this tiny town with the memories with the shame that wasn't even mine. And the girl, that one girl who I could never have. I got into my car and made my way to the house. Pulling into the driveway I stared at the giant mansion the home of my childhood. The home I resented and loved all in one breath. Getting out I swung the key ring around my finger. I let myself into the house and sat down flipping on the TV. I knew Alice had to be around somewhere but I wasn't going to search her out. I was sure she was not happy and I wasn't going to mess with the angry pixie if I could help it. Flipping through the channels I finally settled on one and just let myself mindlessly watch it finally giving myself a break from my hectic schedule.

"Oh you're here." I looked up to see Alice come into the living room.

'"Yes I am and I heard you skipped school again." I arched my eyebrow as I looked at her.

"So you talked to Bella. She's such a snitch." She flopped onto the couch and crossed her arms.

"No she's looking out for you that's what she's doing." I glared at her "You know I'm sure she has better things then having to come and talk to the principle for you all the time."

"Then she shouldn't do it. I didn't ask her to. oh so perfect Bella." She grumbled.

"Alice what do you have against Bella really?"

"Nothing, I have nothing against her." She huffed and stood up leaving the room.

I shook my head and sighed. Alice had so much that Bella didn't have and didn't even realize it. Alice had a father who was an active part in her life, Alice had a step mother who loved her as if she was her own even though Alice's birth had shattered an already fragile marriage. Heck she had me as a brother and I am pretty awesome if I do say so myself. She had all the opportunities in the world things Bella didn't and might never have. Yet she didn't like her older sister and I was sure she had her reasons but I wasn't sure what they were. If anything she should hate Renee. Renee was the one who sent her here presently Renee was the one who got remarried. Renee was the one who had another kid even though she obviously couldn't care for the two she already had. I shook my head it was just one big mess. I looked up when the door opened and saw my mom walk through the door.

"Hey Mom." I said standing up and switching the TV off. I really wasn't even sure what had been on."

"Oh Emmett." My mother rushed towards me engulfing me in a hug. "It's so good to see you sweetie." She smiled stepping back and looking me over. "It's been so long."

"I know I'm sorry." I said trying not to feel guilty but feeling guilty none the less. She was right it had been a long time. between school and not wanting to be back it had been almost a year since the last time I'd stepped foot in Forks.

"Well I'm glad to have you back, how long are you staying?"

"The weekend then I need to be back I start my program on Thursday."

"I'm so proud of you."

"Thanks." I mumbled a bit embarrassed by the praise.

"Are you hungry I was going to start dinner."

"No I stopped by the diner on my way here I'm going to head to the hospital to see dad. Alice is upstairs Bella dropped her off after she skipped school again."

"oh." I could see her brow crease as she thought about what she should do. I guess I'll let your father handle that when he gets home." I kissed her cheek before I left the house and headed towards the hospital.

When I got to the hospital I headed inside and to the front desk. "Is Dr. Carlisle Cullen in please?"

"Do you have an appointment?" The receptionist looked up at me.

"Jessica I'm his son I don't need an appointment."

"Oh Emmett sorry." She blushed "I didn't recognize you there for a moment "One second I'll see if he's available. A minute later she smiled up at him. "He'll be out in a second. "So Emmett how have you been?" she batted her eyelashes at me and I tried not to role my eyes at her.

"Fine."

"Oh come on you've been in New York for years that must have been fun."

"I was in school." I sighed. Hoping my father would hurry up and get out here.

"Yes but you can't study all the time."

I scoffed oh how wrong she was just then I saw my dad come around the corner. "Well Jessica I have to go see you later." I walked past her and towards him.

"Emmett it's good to see you son." Dad clapped me on the back. "Lets go to my office." Leading me towards his office he took a seat behind his desk well I took a seat on his couch. "So have you seen your mother?"

"Yeah I just saw her. I stretched my hand behind my head.

"Good that's good. So missed me so much you couldn't wait for me to get home."

" No you see I stopped at the diner on the way home to get something to eat not knowing when you or mom would be home. I ran into Bella and it seems one Miss Alice Cullen has been skipping school again and Bella had to go and pick her up."

I watched as my dad shook his head and pinched the bridge of his nose. "What did she do with her?"

"Dropped her off at the house. She's there now or at least was when I got there but she's not happy and she's ranting about Bella. Mom is of course there now but if Alice finds that out she just might try and shimmy out the window."

"Crap." He mumbled and I tried to not laugh at that.

"What are you going to do?"

"I don't know she's getting out of hand and I can't keep asking Bella to pick up the slack well I'm working and Esme is so afraid to step on toes. Okay to step on Renee's toes that she won't do anything. I love Alice I want Alice here and so does your mother but this situation is tricky and your sister is mad. I can understand why she's mad she doesn't want to be here. She wants to be with her mother but there is nothing I can do about that."

There were some times I just wanted to slap my father for getting us all in this mess and right now was one of them. I was so frustrated with the way he handled Alice. He treated her with kid gloves that girl could get away with murder around him. She was Daddies little princess. "Well you better figure out something before she flunks out of school."

"I know don't you think I know that Emmett."

"I don't know what you know sometimes." I said in frustration. " I really don't."

"Look I'll handle your sister when I get home and if you see Bella tell her thank you for me."

"Of course." I tried not to glare at him. "Well I'm sure you have work to do and so I'm going to head back to the house. Make sure Alice really didn't shimmy out the window." With that I walked out of the office and tried to ignore Jess throwing her a wave goodbye on my way past the desk. I got into my car but I didn't drive home instead I drove around Forks. And as I drove I thought about what it was like growing up in this tiny town where everyone knew everyone else and that also meant that everyone knew everything about everyone. It sucked being a kid or even an adult in this town when everyone knew your father screwed the chief of police's wife and got her pregnant. It sucked to be that kid when the only girl you ever cared about happened to be the chief of police's little girl. You see sharing a sister didn't really make a relationship possible. Not that I'm even sure Bella knew I liked her like that. I remember I ignored her the whole first month she came back To Forks to live but after that we seemed to fall into a rhyme of talking. Of course because it was hard to talk to anyone else. Because who else would understand the issues besides her my other warrior in this story. The other kid fucked over by our parents. I knew she resented the fact that my mother stayed with my father well her parents split up. I knew that and I felt so bad for her. This broken girl turned into a broken woman. And now we were both back in Forks and I wasn't sure how everything was going to play out. I wasn't staying here and she wanted to fly away so badly.

I don't know how or even why but I found myself outside her door. She was still living with the chief and as I pulled into that driveway and looked at that door. I debated whether or not I should go in. The chief didn't seem to be home. So with a deep breath I stepped out of the car and went to the front door. Knocking I shoved my hands into my pockets as I waited for her to answer.

The door swung open to Bella with her wet haired pulled up as she stared at me. "Emmett What are you doing here?"

"Can I come in?"

"Sure I was just having some wine but I'm sure you don't want that how about a beer?"

"Sounds good, Charlie working late?"

"Yeah?" she went to the kitchen and grabbed a beer tossing it to me. As she settled on the couch with her wine in front of her. "So what are you doing here Emmett?"

"Honestly I have no idea." I said sitting down beside her. "I got into a kind of fight with my father and I was driving around the streets of Forks thinking about life and what it used be like around here after everything went down and somehow I ended up here."

"To our parents maybe one day they will stop messing with our heads." Bella raised her glass and I clanked my beer against it.

"To our parents." I echoed her words.

A/N thank you to everyone that reviewed last chapter and please send in your reviews for this chapter. I believe this will go Bella\ then Emmett maybe with a few others like Alice thrown in.


	3. Chapter 3

I don't own Twilight

Bella POV

I wasn't sure why Emmett had shown up at my door, but at that moment as I sat and watched him I couldn't say that I was mad. It was nice to have someone who understood. Someone who knew what it was like to live in Forks and be a child of a cheater. A person who knew what it was like to be the sibling of Alice Cullen.

"So How it being back in Forks?"

"It sucks." He leaned back against the couch.

"Yeah I bet." I tried to hide my smirk. Now he knew what it was like for me. At least he got a chance to leave. I'd been stuck here since High School. "Bet you can't wait to get back to Seattle."

"You can say that again." He leaned his head back against the couch. "I only spent about five minuets in the presence of Alice today and I wanted to strangle her."

I almost choked on the wine I had been drinking. "Oh My." I sputtered. I held my hand to my chest. "I know how that is believe me though I'm not sure I've ever put it so bluntly."

"Yeah well…" He sighed and just then I remembered something.

"Crap I have to call your dad." I grabbed my phone and quickly hit Carlisle's number.

"Why?" He whispered as I held the phone up to my ear." I held my finger to my lips to shush him as the phone rang.

"Bella is everything okay?" I heard the sound of Carlisle's voice coming through the phone.

"Oh yes I'm sorry Carlisle I just forgot to call you earlier between everything I had to do." Okay I may have said that sarcastically so sue me. "Anyway I wanted to tell you that I will be picking Alice up in the mornings and taking her to school and I'll also be picking her up at the end of the day. She had been instructed to hand her car keys over to you. Oh and she's suspended for one day so no school for her tomorrow I mean really what kind of punishment is that you skip school and then you get to stay home. Anyway you should probably ground her. "

"Okay." Carlisle said but I heard the indecision in his voice.

"Carlisle don't waver on this she needs to learn she can't skip class."

"You're right of course." He sighed. "Thank you for calling Bella and thanks for handling everything."

"Yes well you're welcome goodbye Carlisle."

"Good by Bella." And with that the call was disconnected.

"Anyway I'm sorry about that." I said as I turned back to Emmett.

"Are you sure you're not Alice's mother instead." Emmett chuckled darkly.

"Oh eww Emmett." I scrunched up my nose. "But.." I sighed. "With a mother like Renee I had to learn to grow up fast and Alice was brought along for the ride. I was her mother because Renee loved us in her own way but she does not know how to be a mother. Poor Bree" I shook my head thinking of my littlest sister.

"But my dad just let you dole out Alice's punishment and he didn't even seem to bat an eye."

I took a deep breath and let it out. "Carlisle has his own issues. He loves Alice maybe a bit to much. He wants to give her everything and so he's easy on her. But you know Alice isn't a bad kid Alice is just as much a victim in all of this as the two of us and maybe she's more of a Victim." I swirled the wine in my glass staring down at the red liquid. "Me and you knew where we belonged in the grand scheme of things. We had a clear family oh sure my dad was in Forks and my mom in phoenix but I was part of one clear family unit. Your parents had their issues but they stayed together and you had a mostly stable home. But Alice…. Alice didn't have that. Alice doesn't know where to belong is it with my mom. Is it with her dad or maybe it's with me but she doesn't have really clear boundaries between the families not like us." I finished off my drink and sat the empty drink down on the table. "Yes Alice has her own issues."

He looked at me for a minuet finishing off his beer and sitting it beside my glass on the table. "It wasn't easy for any of us. But me and you turned out okay. I admit I had my own wild years but I pulled out of them and I'm sure we'll get Alice through them to. I'm back now. Maybe I'm not in Forks but I'm in Washington and only a couple of hours away. I'll be busy there is no getting around that what with starting a residency but I'm here. Alice is my sister to and I won't let you carry this burden all by yourself anymore."

I looked at him I wasn't sure what I was hearing. It had been so long since I'd had an actual conversation with Emmett that it was a bit of an out of body experience I almost pinched myself to make sure it was real. "Yeah well thanks." I said I wasn't going to get my hopes up not right now anyway. Words were meaningless most of the time in my life. lets see if he was going to back that up with some actions.

"You are going to have a long day I'm sure and I'm sure my mother is wondering where I've disappeared to so Bella I'll say goodbye now." He stood up and pressed his hand into my shoulder in a sign of comfort.

"yes Thank you Emmett." I sighed standing up to show him to the door.

"No no stay sitting I can show myself out." I watched as he walked out the door and I sat in the living room thinking of the conversation we had just had as it ran through my head. I must have fallen asleep because the next thing I remember is Charlie coming home and waking me up. I made my way up to my bed falling into a restless sleep.

A/N thanks to everyone who review.


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